Physician - Primary Care Section Chief

<p>This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.</p><h3>Major Duties</h3><p>This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 7, 2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be July 1, 2026, with subsequent cut-off dates on the 15th of each month. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. VA Long Beach Healthcare System is currently seeking a Primary Care Section Chief for the Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in Santa Ana, California. The physician is expected to: Provide the overall physician/clinical direction wherever care for Veterans is provided. Conduct routine reviews to ensure the expected quality of care is met. The Primary Care Section Chief will be an operational, working physician chief with 30% time dedicated to administrative and 70% time devoted to clinical duties. Provide comprehensive Primary Care for Veterans. Responsible for the day-to-day operations of the outpatient physician/advanced practice providers staff including assignments, ensuring coverage, and working collaboratively with several other clinical service lines to accomplish the mission of VALB. Responsible for attending national and VISN training and conference calls on various topics including fix/flow, transitioning levels of care, hospital/ED waiver, etc. and implementing needed changes into the processes at VALB to ensure that all national and VISN performance/PACT measures related to outpatient care are met. Other duties as assigned The incumbent is expected to interact with the Veteran as well as family members, significant others, community agencies, and other staff. The Section Chief assists with the overall operation and supervision of this complex clinical service including resident and student education, medical staff leadership, research, quality improvement, maintenance of reusable medical equipment, and the provision of excellent patient care. He/she insures national, network, and local missions, values, vision, and performance measures are supported and met, provides efficient management of resources and budgetary constraints, facilities a collaborative team environment, develops orientation and training of pertinent clinical staff under the service, and proactively identifies needs and concerns concerning the service. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) Authorized: This position is eligible for EDRP, a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of your start date. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov for questions/assistance. Learn more. Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME) Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory CME: Possible $1,000-$2,500 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification) Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:00pm</p><h3>Requirements</h3>U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.<h3>Education</h3>Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are: Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year graduated. NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.